PMID- 28840477
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20190508
LR  - 20190508
IS  - 1559-1182 (Electronic)
IS  - 0893-7648 (Linking)
VI  - 55
IP  - 1
DP  - 2018 Jan
TI  - A Working Module for the Neurovascular Unit in the Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus of 
      the Preoptic Area.
PG  - 156-163
LID - 10.1007/s12035-017-0729-6 [doi]
AB  - The neurovascular unit (NVU) can be conceptualized as a functional entity 
      consisting of neurons, astrocytes, pericytes, and endothelial and smooth muscle 
      cells that operate in concert to affect blood flow to a very circumscribed area. 
      Although we are currently in a "golden era" of bioengineering, there are, as yet, 
      no living NVUs-on-a-chip modules available and the development of a neural chip 
      that would mimic NVUs is a seemingly lofty goal. The sexually dimorphic nucleus 
      of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) is a tiny brain structure (between 
      0.001~0.007 mm(3) in rats) with an assessable biological function (i.e., male 
      sexual behavior). The present effort was undertaken to determine whether there 
      are identifiable NVUs in the SDN-POA by assessing its vasculature relative to its 
      known neural components. First, a thorough and systematic review of thousands of 
      histologic and immunofluorescent images from 201 weanling and adult rats was 
      undertaken to define the characteristics of the vessels supplying the SDN-POA: 
      its primary supply artery/arteriole and capillaries are physically inseparable 
      from their neural elements. A subsequent immunofluorescent study targeting 
      alpha-smooth muscle actin confirmed the identity of an artery/arteriole supplying the 
      SDN-POA. In reality, the predominant components of the SDN-POA are calbindin 
      D28k-positive neurons that are comingled with tyrosine hydroxylase-positive 
      projections. Finally, a schematic of an SDN-POA NVU is proposed as a working 
      model of the basic building block of the CNS. Such modules could serve the study 
      of neurovascular mechanisms and potentially inform the development of next 
      generation bioengineered neural transplants, i.e., the construct of an NVU neural 
      chip.
FAU - He, Zhen
AU  - He Z
AD  - Division of Neurotoxicology, HFT-132, National Center for Toxicological Research, 
      Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR, 72079, USA. 
      zhen.he@fda.hhs.gov.
FAU - Cui, Li
AU  - Cui L
AD  - Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical 
      Sciences, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA.
FAU - Ferguson, Sherry A
AU  - Ferguson SA
AD  - Division of Neurotoxicology, HFT-132, National Center for Toxicological Research, 
      Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR, 72079, USA.
FAU - Paule, Merle G
AU  - Paule MG
AD  - Division of Neurotoxicology, HFT-132, National Center for Toxicological Research, 
      Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR, 72079, USA.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
PL  - United States
TA  - Mol Neurobiol
JT  - Molecular neurobiology
JID - 8900963
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Female
MH  - Male
MH  - Nerve Net/*blood supply/*chemistry/cytology
MH  - Neurons/*chemistry
MH  - Preoptic Area/*blood supply/*chemistry/cytology
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Sprague-Dawley
MH  - *Sex Characteristics
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Bioengineered neural chip
OT  - Capillaries
OT  - Neurovascular unit
OT  - Primary supply artery
OT  - Sexually dimorphic nucleus
OT  - alpha-Smooth muscle actin
EDAT- 2017/08/26 06:00
MHDA- 2019/05/09 06:00
CRDT- 2017/08/26 06:00
PHST- 2017/08/26 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2019/05/09 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2017/08/26 06:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1007/s12035-017-0729-6 [pii]
AID - 10.1007/s12035-017-0729-6 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Mol Neurobiol. 2018 Jan;55(1):156-163. doi: 10.1007/s12035-017-0729-6.